Fourteen students receive Undergraduate Research Awards
LAWRENCE — Fourteen University of Kansas students will receive Undergraduate Research Awards for the fall 2014 semester. UGRA recipients are awarded $1,000 to fund their faculty-mentored research and creative projects, which represent departments from across campus and explore a wide range of topics.
“This ambitious group of students is taking full advantage of the opportunities KU offers them as an international research university,” said John Augusto, assistant vice provost for Experiential Learning.
Students apply for the award by writing a four-page research proposal under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Proposals are evaluated on the merit of the applicant's proposal, the applicant's academic record and a recommendation letter from the faculty mentor.
The UGRA competition is coordinated by the Center for Undergraduate Research and funded by a partnership among the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Office of Research, Undergraduate Studies and the Office of the Provost.
Proposals for spring 2015 UGRAs are due Nov. 6. Interested students are encouraged to attend the upcoming information sessions and proposal workshops. More information is available on the Center for Undergraduate Research website.
Students receiving awards for the fall of 2014 are listed below:
In-state students
Michael Tubbs, a junior from Colby majoring in mathematics and economics: “Regional Climate Modeling Through Reduction Analysis,” mentored by Erik Van Vleck, mathematics
Levi Swartz, a senior from Derby majoring in petroleum engineering: “Environmentally Friendly Alternative to HCl for Acid Fracturing," mentored by Reza Barati, chemical & petroleum engineering
Jake Frondorf, a senior from Hutchinson majoring in linguistics: “The Syntax of Questions in Pulaar,” mentored by Jason Kandybowicz, linguistics
Brittany Hodges, a senior from Kansas City, Kansas, majoring in architecture: “Compression and Moisture Resistance of Sustainably Stabilized Rammed Earth,” mentored by Chad Kraus, School of Architecture, Design, and Planning
Alex Kong, a senior from Lawrence majoring in pharmaceutical studies: “Son of Man: A Memoir on Tiger Parents, Growing Up, and Pursuing the Asian American Dream,” mentored by Mary Klayder, English
Annie Libeer, a senior from Lawrence majoring in speech-language-hearing: “Auditory Training to Increase Spatial Hearing in Aided Hearing-Impaired Listeners,” mentored by Kostas Kokkinakis, speech-language-hearing: sciences & disorders
Ashwaan Uddin, a sophomore from Lawrence majoring in neurobiology: “Emerging Joint Attention and Early Individual Differences in Temperament,” mentored by Brenda Salley, psychology
Mihir Vedantam, a senior from Leawood majoring in aerospace engineering: “Accurate Global Error Analysis of Different Dimensional Climate Models,” mentored by Erik Van Vleck, mathematics
Jessica Gregory, a senior from Osborne majoring in anthropology: “Osteological Study of Human Remains from the Calovich Mounds Site (14WY7),” mentored by Jack Hofman, anthropology
Rana Aliani, a junior from Overland Park majoring in biochemistry: “The Effects of nfm-1 on Migration of Q Neuroblasts in Caenorhabditis elegans,” mentored by Erik Lundquist, molecular biosciences
Austen McGuire, a junior from Overland Park majoring in psychology: “Mental Strength's Effect on the Perception of Aurally and Visually Looming Objects,” mentored by Omri Gillath, psychology
Madeline Olm-Shipman, a junior from Overland Park majoring in finance: “Environmental Factors that Affect Sustainable Businesses: A Mixed-Method Investigation into Certified B Corps,” mentored by Catherine Schwoerer, business-organizational behavior.
International students
Muhammad Gul, a senior from Islamabad, Pakistan, majoring in chemical engineering: “Changes in Range of Motion Envelope of the Back Due to Repetitive Lifting,” mentored by Sara Wilson, mechanical engineering
Ana Villanueva, a senior from Lima, Peru, majoring in mechanical engineering: “The Mechanical Properties and Degradation of Materials under Aging Solutions,” mentored by Paulette Spencer, mechanical engineering.